A Look Inside

Taking apart the DS920+ isn't easy since you have to deal with lots of screws. Thankfully, you don't need to take it apart completely to upgrade the RAM or install M.2 SSDs.


The main body of the NAS is made out of metal, while the enclosure is made out of plastic.


The mainboard is tiny, and a heatsink covers the SoC. There is of course no need for active cooling because of the SoC's low TDP.


There are three VRMs close to the CPU socket area. Two of these most likely power the CPU, and the third handles the system memory. The filtering caps are polymers by FPCAP, which is a respectable manufacturer. Power management is handled by a Richtek RT5077A.


Two AP4435GM FETs are installed right next to an SK34C Schottky Barrier Diode (SBR).


On the other side of the mainboard, we have the PCIe ports, USB 3.0 header, RAM, which is soldered to the mainboard, and a free RAM slot, which lets you upgrade up to 8 GB in total.


The mainboard's BIOS chip is a Winbond 25Q128FWSQ. There is also a Macronix MX30LF1G18AC-TI 1 Gbit NAND flash memory chip on board.


The M.2 board can host up to two SSDs. It uses a Renesas ICS9DB403D IC.


The SATA controller is by Marvell and has model number 88SE9235.


An 8-bit microcontroller by PIC—its model number is PIC16F18345.


The mainboard features a small buzzer for audible notifications—it is installed close to one of the VRMs. Also present in this photo are the coil (marked R47), two Solid Tantalum caps, a bunch of MLCC caps, and a Vishay SiC632 integrated power stage.


The SATA expansion card can host up to four drives.


The rear side I/O ports of the mainboard.


Y.S. Tech provides the 92 mm diameter fan with model number FD129225LL-N (12 V, 0.12 A, 1900 RPM, and 36.3 CFM). Its RPM is kept low during normal operation, which minimizes noise output. You cannot call it noisy at even full speed. According to Y.S Tech, it uses Sintetico bearings, which look to be of high quality and will easily outlive any plain sleeve bearing.